Saudi Arabia's Water Management and Environmental Initiatives

Key Points:

• Saudi Arabia's Water Challenges:
  • Historically faced a constant water shortage crisis due to being one of the driest countries.
  • Lacks natural freshwater sources such as rivers or lakes.

Water Storage and Management:

• Dam Construction:

  • Since 2021, Saudi Arabia has built 522 dams.
  • Dams store rainwater and floodwaters collected from wadis.
  • Total storage capacity of these dams is 650 billion gallons.
  • The Holly Dam, east of Kayad in Mecca, is the second largest, with a reservoir capacity of 249.86 million cubic meters.

• Groundwater Utilization:

  • Estimated 26 trillion gallons of groundwater, but only 739 billion gallons are renewable annually.
  • Majority is fossil water, which is nonrenewable.

Innovation in Water Supply:

• Artificial Underground River System:
  • Massive pipeline system, longer than the Nile River, transports desalinated water from the Red Sea and Persian Gulf.
  • Helps prevent evaporation and maintains water quality.
  • Built for survival to meet the needs of growing urban centers.

Desalination Efforts:

• Desalination Plants:
  • Saudi Arabia is the world leader in desalinated water production.
  • By 2024, there are 43 desalination facilities.
  • The Ras Al-Khair station is the largest in the world, with a capacity of 792 million gallons per day.
  • Environmental and cost challenges include high energy usage and brine disposal issues.

Environmental Initiatives:

• Greening Initiative:
  • Aims to combat desertification by planting 10 billion trees.
  • Protects 30% of Saudi land, improving soil fertility and air quality.
  • Greening 184 million acres of land acts as a barrier to desert expansion.
  • Expected to reduce PM2.5 levels and drop temperatures by 3.96°F.
  • Includes regional initiatives in cities like Riyadh and NEOM.

Summary:

Saudi Arabia is implementing innovative solutions to address its water scarcity and environmental challenges, including a significant focus on desalination technology and a massive greening initiative aimed at transforming the country’s landscape and ensuring sustainable water management for future generations.